REprioritize
As I walked past my computer sitting on the kitchen counter a few weeks ago, I saw something disturbing.
In the ether, I could see an imaginary cord going from me into my computer.
Like a siren, this corded connection wanted to draw me in. There was a hypnotic, numbing feel to it. I felt a need to get back in front of it and see what was going on, attend to needs and details, and “catch up.”
But I kept walking past, alarmed, perplexed, and thoughtful about what I had seen.
Perceiving this unhealthy connection was a Godsend.
I realized in that moment that I all-too-often get sucked into my computer and endless to-dos while LIFE is going on in the other room – Legos and laughter and all.
(And darn it, I thought I had gotten rid of this compulsion a long time ago – but apparently there was MORE to explore!)
Everyone else seems to be able to fit in fun and music and exercise while I am tapping away on my keyboard advancing the business entities. All too frequently…..
- I have been working on “one last email” while the kids bedtime is pushed later and later.
- I have traded time with family and friends for the demands of business ownership and management.
- I have neglected myself physically and mentally so that I could get “stuff done”
Can you relate?
Do you get sucked into work, allowing it to creep into all hours of your day and night?
Do your obligations take the front burner while your LIFE takes the back burner?
So what can be done about this over-devotion to productivity and advancement?
When does responsibility become a liability?
And what should we do if we find ourselves corded to something?
So, after perceiving this oppression, I BROKE the power of the cord in my life. I renounced that connection and the unhealthy beliefs that created it.
This took some quiet and some thought.
Then, I replaced that unhealthy cord with the truth of connection to God, to myself, and to others.
The truth is: I have a beautiful life and I want to fully engage in all its wonder. I do not want to spend my life a slave to anything. I am free and I intend to remain free.
Next, I treasure-hunted what gave that cord power in the first place. How did I end up making that an all-consuming priority, when I know better?
After all, where we spend our time reflects our priorities. (So even if I did not say being tethered to my computer was a priority, it was.)
I discovered that there were still some hidden beliefs inside me that were funding my investment in this tethered relationship.
I had to get to the bottom of these beliefs and heal my mind and soul from them. These unspoken beliefs included:
- “This is the most important thing”
- “It all depends on me”
- “If I don’t do this, nothing will move forward”
- “If I don’t do this, no one else will”
Do any of these sound familiar?
Do you find yourself oppressed by a sense of obligation?
Well, here is the very good news for those of us who can relate to this….
The reason we have struggled is because we are responsible people!
Our upstanding, responsible character is actually what is largely behind this problem: when we get stuck in overdrive, we are simply over-extending our responsibility strength!
Finally, I forgave myself for falling back into this old pattern. I had slipped back into an old performance rut.
Like muscle memory, our life beliefs can come back if they are not fully routed out and healed.
Forgiving ourselves makes a way for new possibilities and new pathways.
So, to recap our exit strategy from the cords that hold us down:
- We break the power of unhealthy connections
- We treasure-hunt the beliefs that funded that enslavement
- We give ourselves grace by understanding most struggles as strengths overextended
- We forgive ourselves
Once I perceived this subtle yet dangerous problem and dealt with it, I could REprioritize.
We can talk about prioritizing all day long, but first we have to deal with the obstacles to living our true values – and I’ve shared some of my own obstacles herein.
Honestly, this corded connection between me and my computer was so disturbing that I made some immediate changes.
- I have played more with my boys and laid with them in their beds at night talking and laughing. We’ve read a lot more together.
- I have shut my computer screen – for days at a time. (Just to show it who’s boss!)
- I have taken walks before the daylight slipped away.
- I went for a pedicure right in the middle of the day!
I’m thankful for the opportunity to REconsider my true priorities and allocate the best time and mental space to them, rather than “fitting them in.”
While I’ve spent 6 years on this journey of becoming a #LifeReclaimist, I still have so much opportunity to grow.
I’m finding that if there is “unfinished business” (like unhealed beliefs we thought we had dealt with) in our life, we will be providentially given another chance to RIGHT it until the work has been completed. What a blessing this is: we are all on a continuous journey of discovery and REstoration if we will embrace it.
I appreciate the chance to share with YOU my journey in hopes that it will inspire and equip you to throw off the cords that entangle YOU so that you can live the abundant life you were meant to live!
Related:
- Sign up for our free monthly inspirational enewsletter [RE]store
- Join the movement of Life Reclaimists by signing up for my free Life Reclaimist Jumpstart
- Visit our Life Reclaimist page for more resources
